A ten-day railway closure will take place this month while essential engineering work takes place in the Duddeston area of Birmingham.
Major alterations to tracks will take place from this Saturday (17 August) through to the August bank holiday Monday (26 August) as part of long-term improvements to the rail network, including preparations for HS2 – Britain’s new high-speed railway.
The work involves relocating a railway signal and moving a section of track across a new bridge at Duddeston Mill Road which has been built by HS2 and its contractor Balfour Beatty VINCI. The changes will allow HS2 to construct a new viaduct which will carry high speed trains over the existing railway and into Birmingham Curzon Street station in the future.
Between Birmingham New Street and Coleshill Parkway stations Network Rail engineers will also be replacing 450 metres of track and two 'crossovers' which are sections of track that enable trains to move from one line to another. A third crossover is being relocated to help improve the flow of trains through the area. These vital upgrades will help to make journeys smoother and more reliable for passengers and freight services.
The routes affected include services between:
- Birmingham New Street and Leicester, Peterborough, Cambridge and Stansted Airport.
- Cardiff Central and Birmingham New Street to Nottingham.
- Scotland, the North East to Birmingham New Street and the South West.
Upgrades in Duddeston follow on from nearby work by HS2 over the weekend which involved moving a new 84 metre bridge into place at Aston Church Road, in the Saltney area of Birmingham.
Patrick Cawley, director of ‘On Network Works’ for Network Rail and HS2, said: “Work to prepare for HS2 is progressing well in Birmingham and I'd like to thank passengers for their patience while we carry out this next phase of work to move tracks and a railway signal at Duddeston which starts this weekend.
Georgia Ehrmann, CrossCountry’s regional director for the West Midlands and North West, said: “I want to thank passengers in advance for their patience while our industry partners carry out this vital work to prepare for the arrival of HS2.”
Image Credit: Network Rail
